¶ … Sportsmanship' in Employees Business is nothing but a sport, where winning comprises of gaining points in shareholder value, market share, profitability etc. And just like any other sport, winning in the business world requires a motivated, united and committed workforce, with a deep-rooted sense of 'sportsmanship.'

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines sportsmanship as "Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in losing" (dictionary.com). Dictionary definitions besides, surprisingly, there appears to be very little consensus on what exactly construes 'sportsmanship.'

However, there is a good reference point in a research study published in 1996, which attempted to derive a definition of sportsmanship by applying premises from social psychological theories and research: "Results from a factor analysis revealed the presence of five factors corresponding to the respect and concern for: a) one's full commitment towards sports participation, b) the rules and officials, c) social conventions, d) the opponent, as well as e) a negative approach towards sports participation" (Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, 1996, 8[1]; 89-101).

Correlating the above five factors to the business world will reveal that all five are equally applicable to an organization. Employees need to be fully committed to a company's...

Sportsmanship is a matter of being good (character) and doing right (action) in sports.... Most of the acts we call unsportsmanlike are going to be wrong or bad outside the sports arena as well" (The NCCA News Web site).
Today, there is increasing concern about corporate ethics and social responsibility and organizations are being held accountable, be it in accounting practices or in formulating and following a code of conduct. Therefore, it follows that a company needs to look for the right ethical standards in an employee, encompassing not just overt honesty but intangibles such as humanitarism and professional integrity. In other words, a company…